This research was conducted to determine whether 6 weeks devoted to the study of communism would develop greater commitments to democratic values among secondary school students. Also studied were the effects of teacher background, fathers' education levels, students' political preferences, and the time, extent and pattern of instruction on the change in students' attitudes toward democratic values. To measure any change in thought, the Allen Scale of Beliefs was administered before and after the instruction period to 1612 students from four Florida counties. Findings revealed that gains in positive attitudes toward democracy (1) were generally offset for most students by the negative effects produced, (2) were higher for students whose fathers were college educated than for students whose fathers had less education, (3) were negative for students expressing an "other" political preference, (4) were higher among students receiving instruction from teachers with average backgrounds than from those with above average or superior backgrounds, and (5) were little affected by class size or organization. (The Allen Scale of Beliefs and statistical results are appended.) (Author/JM)